(Jake Harper/Side Effects Public Media)A series of homicides at the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex prompted Louisville reporter Josh Wood to start asking questions.Wood, an investigative reporter for The Courier-Journal, found the number of recent killings at EKCC is outpacing tallies for pre vious years.He talked with KyCIR's Jacob Ryan about his reporting, what state corrections officials say, and about proposed legislation that could add scrutiny to in-custody deaths across Kentucky.Click the player above to listen to the conversation. The transcript below is edited for length and clarity.Jacob Ryan: One of your most recent stories is about homicides in a Kentucky prison. Generally, tell me what you found.Josh Wood: We saw, in a span of just over four months, three homicides at the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex. We started asking the question, 'how frequently does this happen?'" And we were able to look at federal data which counted all state prison deaths in every state from 2001 to 2019 and that showed there were six homicides in all Kentucky state prisons in that stretch. Here at EKCC, they'd hit half that number in a matter of months.JR: So, what are prison officials saying about why this is happening at this one facility.JW: They haven't really given a clear answer on that. They haven't released too much public information about any of these deaths, in particular. The DOC highlighted that violence is actually down at EKCC in recent years, as well as the rate drugs are getting in. They didn't point to any kind of ways they are curbing the deaths, just the overall downward trend. We've been trying to get information about these deaths through open records, but those attempts have been blocked, so far, both through the Department of Corrections and the Kentucky State Police. So, there really is not all that much we know about what lead to the homicides. The one thing the DOC did say was that their review determined that staff did not contribute to the circumstances of any of the three homicides.JR: The deaths have got the attention of state legislators. Tell me what you know about that.JW: Just this week Sen. Keturah Herron filed a bill that would establish a fatality review board. She told me she doesn't see this as reinvestigating deaths that happen, but trying to identify trends and patterns so that, going forward, they can prevent future deaths. Under the bill, facilities would have to report in-custody deaths within 30 days. The board would be made up of a number of people from within the law enforcement world. The bill also mandates that a formerly incarcerated person is on the board.JR: What's next, do you continue reporting on this?JW: Yes, we plan on pursuing this. When we spoke to an expert at the Prison and Jail Innovation Lab from the University of Texas who said three deaths at any correctional facility is alarming, and three homicides in alarming in that period of time. ...read more read less